1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cooling systems for cooling electronic equipment, and particularly to cooling systems employing redundancy to maintain desired temperature conditions in the event of system component failure.
2. Background and Objects of the Invention
The growth of the computer industry and telephony over the past few decades has been phenomenal. The integration of these technologies, for example, in telecommunications switching systems, has lead to greater and greater efficiencies as larger numbers of communications are handled by fewer components, which are typically housed in a central control room.
One problem inherent with all electronic equipment., telecommunications or otherwise, is temperature control. As is readily apparent, if telecommunications switching equipment or other electronic components are not effectively cooled, the internal temperature of the electronic components substantially increase, thereby leading to significantly reduced system performance and, in some cases, total system failure.
Conventional approaches to cooling the aforementioned central control or other such apparatus/equipment rooms utilize directing air through coils having cooled liquid flowing therethrough. The air is cooled as it passes the cooled coils. By directing the resulting cooled air towards the equipment to be cooled, the internal temperature of the equipment is reduced, thereby allowing the equipment to operate more efficiently and with reduced risk of system shutdown.
The performance and reliability of electronic equipment, such as telecommunication switching systems, are thus directly tied to the ability of the corresponding cooling systems to maintain equipment operating temperatures at or below desired temperature levels. If the cooling system cannot reliably and continuously cool the equipment due to failure of one or more cooling system components, such as cooling system pump units, system failure results. There is a need, therefore, for cooling systems to substantially continuously maintain equipment operating temperatures within prescribed limits, even in the event of failure of one or more cooling system components.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cooling system for effectively cooling electronic equipment.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cooling system which provides a sufficient supply of cooled air even during periods of component malfunction.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide such a system which employs system component redundancy.